What
are the
eight worst mistakes people make when preparing their own resume?

Not
determining a target or goal for the resume.

There are job hunters who mistakenly believe it's the
hiring manager or potential employer's responsibility to determine what role or position a job hunter
will best fill.

In fact, it's the job hunters job to know in which position he or she
can make the greatest contribution,
and to back up this assessment with proof - through relevant history,
experience and achievements.

If you haven't decided yet the type of positions for which you're best
qualified (you can even choose several positions, you just may need several
resumes that will effectively target each), then it's too early to
write an effective resume or to navigate a productive job search.

A resume without a target or a goal is like a
map without identifying markers or a hope of a destination.

Not
understanding the needs or interests of the intended reader.

Or, for that
matter, not understanding who the intended reader is (potential
employer, a hiring manager, a recruiter, etc.).

It may seem like common sense, but to write effectively a
writer needs to write with a specific reader in mind. If you're not thinking about
who will be reading your document, and you're not writing for this specific
reader, then you're writing for the wrong person.

Imagine, for example, writing and submitting the perfect lasagna recipe to a business
magazine - unless, of course, creating the perfect lasagna recipe led to a
lucrative business venture. The recipe may be well written, the content may
be interesting, the end product may be mouth-watering, but without the right
audience the target is all wrong. Business readers want to read
about business, not lasagna. Potential employers want to read about relevant
past experience and achievements that attest to a job candidate's ability to contribute
to and excel within their company.

This means that non-relevant hobbies, interests or responsibilities are
omitted, in favor of more relevant and meaningful material. The targeted recipient of a resume (a hiring manager, a potential
employer, a recruiter, etc.) will be very interested in learning how a job
candidate's efforts and contributions have benefited past employers.
He or she will be less interested in learning that a candidate's
favorite pastime is gardening - unless, of course, the position being targeted has
something to do with horticulture. This also means that information that could be viewed as
discriminatory is left off. Anything that points to a candidate's race,
religion, age, etc.

A resume is not a good opportunity to create an
autobiography of your career life.

A resume is an excellent opportunity to
focus on your reader's needs and interests and present content relevant to
these needs.

Identify the type of work
you want to do, with a clear
understanding of what prospective employers will be
looking for in candidates applying for
the targeted position.

Include everything about
yourself that is relevant to the
statement above.

Leave everything else off.

Focusing just on the "duties and responsibilities"
of previous positions.

And not organizing the information
so that it effectively highlights and showcases
the candidate's strong points, achievements, and accomplishments.

A resume shouldn't just describe what a candidate has
done, but should include the benefits of a
candidate's efforts and contributions, including any quantitative information
that best defines the level and scope of that responsibility and achievement.

Imagine the difference between the statements "Led
projects," and "Led major ____________ projects with budgets of $350K to $1
million. Or "Sold sprockets," and "Sold sprockets to new market avenues,
achieving recognition as ABC's Top Seller for five consecutive quarters." Or
"Oversaw production," and "Led production and increased productivity by 45%
through the implementation of improved..."

If you need help in determining the benefits of your contributions, then ask
yourself the following questions for each responsibility statement you list:

Why was this important?
What did it entail, in detail?What did my efforts ensure or enable
How did my efforts and contributions benefit (productivity, production,
profits, efficiencies, capabilities, costs...)?
What problems did my efforts solve, and what was the short and long-term
benefit(s)?

Leaving off
quantitative information.

(e.g., "Increased sales by 50%," "Reduced costs
by $50K per year," "Led a
team of 35 professionals in...").
Numbers, figures, dollar amounts and percentages.
Quantitative
information provides a sense of the size and scope of the positions and
responsibilities
held, and the real value of the stated achievements.

Simply stating "Increased profits," for example, may leave your reader
saying "so what?" You could have increased profits by .001% and still make
that claim. Saying that you "Increased profits by $1 million within
six months," or "Increased profits by 75% within the first year,"
gives your reader a better sense of the actual achievement, and may leave
him or her anticipating the same great results via hiring you.

Before you consider inflating your results, however, make sure you look at
point #8 of this article. Your achievements, just as everything else in this
document, need to be factual.

Forgetting to tell the reader HOW.

While some of the "how" is best left to the interview
stage, some of it needs to be explained in the resume, too. Telling your
reader how you achieved your various successes allows your reader to get a better sense of your ability, capability and knowledge.
It also allows the reader to get a visual impression of you at work, providing these
same great solutions and results for their company or organization.

For example, look at the difference between these two statements and
consider how each makes you view the abilities and achievements of the
writer:

"Increased annual sales by 45%"

and

"Increased annual sales by 45%
through the implementation of improved processes that enabled company to
establish OEM relationships and international channels."

If establishing
OEM or international channels is important
to your target organization, the second statement, and the second candidate, is
going to offer a stronger indication of potential value and success. In
fact, the second statement actually illustrates THREE achievements:
increased sales, improved processes, and established new and
profitable channels.

Using
passive language, repetitive statements, or the wrong terminology.

Reading a resume littered with the statement
"Responsibilities include" can put a reader to sleep, particularly
a reader who's reading the 45th resume submission. Repetitive terms, such as Managed,
Managed, Managed, or "Duties included," can do the same.

Did you know that most resumes receive an initial "reading" time of 15
seconds, or less? If you start each of your responsibility statements with "Responsibilities
include:," you've just reduced that "reading" time to 10 seconds or
under.

Begin each of your responsibility statements with a strong action word
that best denotes your role and level of responsibility, and vary these
terms to keep the reading interesting.

For example, "Manage" is a strong
action word and a good choice, but not if it's used repetitively throughout
the document. It can and
should be varied with other action words, some of which may be more
accurate, such as,
"Direct," "Lead," "Supervise," and "Control."

It's also important to use the right terminology for the position and
industry being targeted. You wouldn't expect a teacher to write "Trained
students in..." because it's the wrong terminology for the industry. A
teacher "teaches." A trainer "trains." A facilitator "facilitates." You get
the idea.

Use the correct terminology for your position and industry.

Using
gimmicks.

Such as brightly colored or decorated paper (think fluorescent) or unusual
formats (distracting layouts or unusual presentations, such as brochures).
These may get
attention, but possibly not the type of attention you intended.

As a professional resume writer,
I occasionally receive offers from outside companies that promise they can turn my clients' resumes into
"something that will really stand out in the crowd," such as a PowerPoint presentation. The idea
is to incorporate the resume into a PowerPoint presentation that can then be
submitted to a potential employer via a CD-Rom. The potential employer is then required to load it
into their computer (not likely to happen) and watch... what? Some of these
presentations include a musical backdrop (who thought that would be a good
idea?). Others suggested a type of "recorded audition" by the job candidate.
Sort of a one-sided interview.

Attention grabbing, possibly. But what gimmicks fail to consider
is
the recipient's time. If you're in receipt of a hundred or more resumes, and
it's your job to fill a specific position with a qualified candidate - within
a specified deadline - in addition to all the other responsibilities your
position entails - do you have time for this?

One of my favorite possessions is a resume
that was given to me as a birthday gift. It's an actual resume,
submitted for an actual position. It's printed on heavy fluorescent-pink paper,
9x11, with a full body shot of the
candidate - in thigh-high black boots. I'm not kidding. I'm also certain
that its creator didn't plan for it to become the treasured
possession of a professional resume writer. This particular candidate did
manage to make herself unforgettable.

Thinking
that inflating or exaggerating (or out-and-out lying about) past
experiences or achievements will make your resume more effective or make
your job search more productive.

It won't.

Joseph J. Ellis is a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian
who has written some of my favorite books, including " American
Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson," which won the
National Book Award in 1997. To say that Joseph J. Ellis is impressive would
be an understatement.

Why, then, would someone as accomplished as
Joseph J. Ellis decide to fabricate his past?

Fabricating professional
history and achievements is an idea that some job seekers have embraced
without appreciating the full consequence of their actions. It's always a
mistake.

In an interview with The Boston Globe in 2000, Joseph J. Ellis told an
interviewer that he went to Vietnam in 1965 as a platoon leader and
paratrooper with the 101st Airborne Division. Ellis also said that his
Vietnam service included duty in Saigon on the staff of Gen. William C.
Westmoreland, the American commander in Vietnam. He shared similar Vietnam
experiences with his Mount Holyoke College students whom he taught. But
after reviewing public records and interviewing some of Ellis's friends and
colleagues, the Globe reported in 2001 that Ellis's military record was not
true. He was suspended for a year without pay by Mount Holyoke.

Emory
University's David Garrow, a fellow historian, declared, "Knowingly being
dishonest in class is just as great an act of moral turpitude as being
knowingly dishonest or inaccurate in your written work."

And we're talking
about the Pulitzer Prize-winning Joseph J. Ellis!

Ellis quickly apologized and issued a public statement. He doesn't know why
he fabricated his past, and he deeply regrets the decision. The irony, of
course, is that he had no need to fabricate his past. His genuine
accomplishments are impressive and real. He remains one of my favorite
authors to this day.

So while fabricating your past may create initial interest, the outcome can
be devastating. Imagine getting hired under false pretenses, doing a
fantastic job in your new position, enjoying real growth and potential...
only to have employer find out that you lied
on your resume or application, months or years after the fact. Suddenly, everything about
you can become suspect, and you can be
fired.

Good luck in your job search!
Sue Campbell,
1st-Writer.com - over 15 years
experience helping clients achieve their career and business goals. Feel free to
e-mail me
with any questions you may have. I'll be glad to help!